Here at Sick Chirpse we’re keen on a bit of dark and moody photography, and these shots of the dirty side of America by Mike Brodie AKA Polaroid Kid are as brooding as they come. Brodie left his home in Pensacola, Florida at the age of 18 to go freighthopping around the US of A.

Before he left a friend gave him a camera, so he turned his entire epic adventure into an amazing look at a rarely witnessed crevice of American life.

For three years Brodie travelled the length and breadth of the land meeting hobos, junkies and ne’er-do-wells, photographing them for prosperity as he moved around.

Brodie created two bodies of work called Tones of Dirt and Bone and A Period of Juvenile Prosperity, both of which were exhibited in galleries and later turned into books. The works won critical acclaim and it’s easy to see why. The images are dark, warm and foreboding. But I don’t need to bang on about it, have a look for yourself:

(Use your arrow keys/slide on mobile to view the images.)